Hush, Hush Baby
by BaronessBlixen
Summary: Post 2x22: Snow watches her daughter sleep. Short one-shot. Fluff.


A/N: This is my first OUAT story ever. I have never even read one (which will most likely change now). It didn't turn out all like I planned, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing.

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The gentle creak and the motion of the boat performed a lullaby of misery and regret. In a quiet refuge, Emma was finally asleep. The passengers on the Jolly Roger were scattered all over the boat. Trust didn't come easily; they were here together for different, complicated reasons. They were all there because of Henry, too. Unable to relax, Snow couldn't stop watching her daughter sleep. While she slept, she looked like a small child. The child Snow had never met. Sometimes the pain still overwhelmed her and all she wanted to do was turn back time and change the past. She was never quite sure what she would have done; different scenarios played out in her head. In the end, she always ended up here. With a daughter who had spent her whole life wondering why her parents had given her up. Now she couldn't give into her own exhaustion, because she wanted to be there for Emma. She looked so peaceful and carefree laying there. There was nothing Snow wanted to do more than take her into her arms and take all the harm, all the sorrows away from her. Inadvertently, she let out a shaky sigh. Next to her Charming moved and pulled her closer. She should have he was watching over his family, too.

"What are you thinking about?" He whispered into her ear. His warm breath tickled and distracted her for a short moment.

"Emma." She answered simply, because she knew he understood.

"It's going to be fine. We'll find him. We always find each other, don't we?" Despite everything, Snow had to smile in the dark.

"We do." Wrapped up in her husband's arms, she didn't take her eyes off her daughter. She was a sight of beauty. A true symbol of love. Snow felt such pride, knowing this was her daughter. Exhaustion however had a tight grip on her. Eventually, she was unable to fight it off any longer.

"_Mom? Dad?" The small girl asked. Tears sparkled in her green eyes, but she tried to control her quivering lip. She was clutching her favorite teddy bear tightly to her chest. The little princess had always been a tomboy. The dolls she had been given usually ended up somewhere in the back of her bedroom. Often she could be seen with her father teaching her how to fight with a sword. Still, that bear was her favorite. She'd had it since she was a baby. Moments like these reminded Snow how much their daughter still needed them. _

"_Come here, honey." Snow spread her arms wide and waited for her daughter to run into them. She would hug the small form that was already so strong; inside as well as outside. The girl didn't move. Her tears fell silently, but she just didn't move. It occurred to Snow that something wasn't right. _

"_Mom? Dad? Where are you?"_

"_I'm right here, honey. Come here, Emma." Snow pleaded. Her own feet were glued to the ground. Her daughter was just outside reach and she was paralyzed. Her heart heavy, she stretched her arms as far as they would go. Emma was looking directly at her. Did she not see her there? _

"_Why did you leave me here?" The little girl was crying. Snow felt her own tears stream down. Only then did she realize her daughter was not dressed in her usual clothes. Gone was the dress, gone were her play clothes. She was wearing clothes Snow had never seen before. They looked like rags… from another world. _

"_I thought parents loved their children." Such a small voice so unlike the one Snow heard every day. The teddy bear fell to the ground and Emma stepped away. She walked towards Snow unsteadily. _

"_Come here, honey. I'm here. I love you; your dad loves you." Her eyes closed when Emma was within reach. She closed her arms like she had done a million times before. When Emma had fallen down and she had needed some cheering up. All those times when she had just been happy to just be with her parents. It didn't happen. She didn't feel the warmth of her daughter. There was nothing. Only emptiness. Pain. Emma had walked through her. _

"_Emma!" Snow cried, but her daughter kept on walking. And she walked and walked and walked. Still on the ground, still unable to move, all she could do was watch. Her heart broke into a million pieces._

"_I thought you loved me." The words echoed through the castle painfully, loudly. Snow felt like she was drowning in her own tears. Her daughter, her baby! _

"Hey, hey, wake up." Snow startled. She sat up quickly and needed a moment to perceive her surrounds. The boat was still rocking gently. The creaks here and there. The memories rushed back: the portal, Henry. Emma. It had all been a dream. The young Emma; simply a figment of her imagination.

"I had a dream about Emma." She told Charming without looking at him. In her dream, Emma had been young, maybe Henry's age. But in her dream, Snow had known her. They had spent time together as a family. Only she had lost her. Why did she always lose her daughter? She knew she would never let it happen again. Emma was still her baby and always would be. No matter her age, no matter how much time they had already lost. Suddenly, she had to be closer to her. In her dream, she hadn't been to make contact. This time she was within reach. Careful not to wake her, Snow touched her daughter's warm cheek. _Mom, Dad_. She couldn't help but smile; Emma had called them mom and dad. It should have been a given, it should have been so easy.

"Are you alright?" Charming was right behind her.

"I am now." Snow answered truthfully. She put a loose strand of Emma's hair behind her ear. Her daughter didn't even stir. It should have always been like this. She should have been doing this throughout her childhood. Suddenly, she was filled with memories that weren't her own; Emma walking for the first time. Emma on her birthday, blowing out candles. Emma on a horse with the wind blasting through her hair. These vivid scenes hurt, because they weren't real. They were ideas; they were what could have been. What should have been.

"She called us mom and dad tonight. Despite what has happened with Henry, I can't help but feel so happy about this."

"I know what you mean." Charming admitted.

"We have to find Henry. We have to find him and finally be the family we should always have been."

"We will. But we need all out strength." Snow nodded; they needed to sleep. They needed to be prepared for whatever came their way. As always. She gently kissed Emma's forehead. The memory that came with it was not artificial. But it hurt all the more. Charming remained for a moment longer and Snow watched him. His hand hovered over Emma; his stance was somewhat uncertain. Finally, he too leaned over and kissed her forehead.

Snow took a deep breath. They way it should have been… shattered and broken. But they were still here. Emma had found them. Now, they would never let each other go ever again. They were finally a family.

**END**


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